Descendents of DunBroch
by CollieandShire
Summary: With war raging across Europe, Marissa DunBroch could care less about Scotland's rich history when Great Britain is threatened to be overtaken by Germany. Her perspective changes with a school trip to the ruins of her ancestors that could decide the fate of her family's very existence. Rated T for some mild violence. *Complete*
1. A Lesson in History

_Hello fellow fans of Brave! I am back with another story!_

_I was not expecting to write another Brave story anytime soon when the inspiration for this one came over me while making dinner one night and watching the movie. I couldn't wait to get started and wrote five chapters in three days. Well...time wore my creativity down and I lost interest for a couple months, then rediscovered this story last night. I touched it up and finished it and wala! I have another story to share!_

_For those of you who've read my previous Brave stories, this is not like those ones. I stuck to all the original characters (there is no Ilene in this one, sorry!) and mostly the original plot-line, save for the addition of Marissa and Fredrick, who will be explained later. This story is not related to my other stories, it's a stand-alone and has nothing to do with_ The Adversary's Daughter _or _Return of the Beast.

_That said, enjoy the first chapter and please review! This story is totally finished and I will post a new chapter when I A) get three reviews or B) when I get tired of waiting for reviews. ;)_

_Thanks for reading and please review! Thank you!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

_Chapter One_

A Lesson in History

_Scotland, United Kingdom, 1942_

"Marissa, are you listenin'?"

Marissa jerked her head up, her curly red hair bouncing as she glanced at the teacher with a sheepish grin. "No ma'am." She mumbled.

Mrs. MacDonald humphed and Marissa's classmates giggled, causing the fifteen-year-old to squirm in her seat. "Well ye should have been lass, we're discussing your clan, DunBroch."

_As if I care. _Marissa growled inwardly. Instead she nodded and folded her hands to give the impression she was listening intently.

"As I was sayin', the DunBroch clan ruled over Scotland for three hundred years before the fall of their reign. This was due to the beginning of the war with the…" the teacher rambled on.

Even if she _had _been a good history teacher Marissa wouldn't have listened much anyways, her eyes wandered to the letter she had began to write. A frown crossed her face as she read the words. This wouldn't do.

Grabbing the paper she ripped it out of the book and crumpled it up, opening her desk and dropping it inside. The words remained etched on her memory as she reflected back to the middle sentence. _Daddy, I'm so sorry I was angry with you when you left, please understand why…_

He wouldn't understand. She'd hurt him and she'd hurt him deeply and now he was gone. How could she have been so selfish? Why hadn't she run after him and told him how much she loved him and how scared she was for him?

_I'll try again later. _She decided. That was the fourth letter she'd started and thrown away-she couldn't bear the thought of how hurt her father was and she didn't know how to apologize to him. She'd have to continue to work on it.

"…which still stand today. That leads me to our field trip announcement-we're traveling to the ancient ruins next week on Thursday!" Mrs. MacDonald announced. The class erupted with chatters from the kids as they discussed this proposition.

Marissa blinked her big blue eyes and furrowed her brow. _What were we discussing again? _She racked her brain. Once more she'd failed to listen to the lesson at hand and she was too embarrassed to ask where they were going. _Let's see, we were talking about the medieval times, and teacher mentioned my name. _Ah, that was right. DunBroch.

The light bulb went on and Marissa almost groaned inwardly. _Of course! _They were going to visit the ancient ruins of the Castle DunBroch, one of the few castles still with most of its walls standing after hundreds of years. The castle itself didn't cause Marissa any worry, it was the fact her name _was _DunBroch. Marissa Elena DunBroch, direct descendent of the kings and queens of old. Of course all of her classmates and her teacher would expect her to know _everything about the DunBrochs! _

When she thought about it, Marissa did know a lot about her ancestors. Her Dad used to sit her down and tell her wonderful stories about ancient kingdoms, demon bears and Will O' the Wisps and how they led you to your fate. He'd tell her about the princess named Merida with the wild red hair and the beautiful black Clydesdale, promising her that "Someday me wee darlin', I'll get you a big Clydesdale of yer own and you can ride through the gland."

The thought made Marissa's heart wrench as she once more recalled the day the troops had come and her father had told her and her mother goodbye. He'd bent down to kiss her and Marissa had pushed him away, hurt and anger mixed with fear coming out as defiance. How could she have been so mean? He loved her and he had told her why he had to leave-Great Britain needed him, they needed strong and sturdy men to help save Europe from the Nazi onslaught. _"I'm going with them to protect me country and me family, Mari." _He had explained.

"Class dismissed!"

The sound of all of her fellow students leaping up and slamming their books caused Marissa to jump. Without any thought she stood up and closed her book, walking by Mrs. MacDonald and respectfully saying good day to her.

"Marissa, I expect you to help your classmates with the tour and tell them about the rich history of the DunBrochs." Mrs. MacDonald told her as she passed by. "Please don't disappoint me."

"Yes ma'am." Marissa replied as she walked out the door and into the hall. _Great, this will be fun._

~oOo~

Thank goodness the tour guide was a talker-no one had the chance to ask Marissa about the old legends and tales of the clan DunBroch.

Marissa was glad, she wasn't a very good story teller and her heart raced every time she was put on the spot. Her mother always told her she needed to be friendlier, to 'get out of her comfort zone.' Marissa wasn't that kind of person, she liked her privacy and people were so much harder to understand than animals. Marissa could roam the countryside for hours and explore new crevices, adventuring where no one dared to go without fear. How was it that making a speech in front of her class terrified her?

Plain and simple, people hurt.

When she fell off a ledge she had no one to blame but herself, yet people snapped and sneered and made fun of her for no other reason than her stage fright.

Only Lilly, Marissa's longtime friend, understood her fears. _But Lilly's gone now. _

Marissa kicked at a rock on the path as the group walked up some stairs and into what had once been a throne room. Lilly had moved to London and then out to the country when the Blitzes had started. Thank goodness there was nothing in Scotland the Nazis wanted to bomb, Marissa couldn't imagine how terrible it was to hide in the subway and listen to the bombs destroy everything you'd ever known.

"Now here is where the ancient kings and queens would sit whenever they greeted someone from the other clans." The tour guide spouted as he gestured around the room. _My goodness, that guy talks fast. _Marissa grinned. At least that made it easier for her to be forgotten! "It was in this very room that they made their announcements and proclamations. Speeches were said, tournaments were decided on and the children had to sit quietly and stoically through it all." The tour guide explained.

Marissa tried to imagine a king and queen sitting in the main thrones with their children beside them. Try as she might she couldn't get the image of the kids pushing and poking each other out of her head and she giggled. _They no doubt were just like us. _She decided.

Without much thought Marissa let her mind wander and glanced around the ruins. A crumbled doorway and a bend in the rock wall stood out to her, causing a sudden thought to pop into her mind. _I wonder what's over there? _The Tour guide hadn't mentioned anything about it, perhaps it was off limits. _That sounds exciting. _And it sounded like something that would get her in a _lot _of trouble.

"Come along class, we're movin' on." Mrs. MacDonald told her students as she ushered them along.

Marissa stood rooted in her spot, the thrill of exploring beckoning her. It was only then that she realized her teacher hadn't even _noticed _her and the group was steadily leaving her behind. _They completely forgot about me! _At first Marissa was insulted and then a slow grin crossed her face. Who cared? She now had every good reason to go explore the rest of the ruins on her own.

Before sense could take its grip Marissa trotted towards the broken doorway, passing under it and around the falling rock wall. A sign was posted _WARNING! Unstable Structure! _And beyond that Marissa could see a staircase. _Sounds adventurous. _She thought. A flash of brown brought her eyes towards the bottom of the staircase, and Marissa blinked. _Did I just see a person? _Naw, she couldn't have. No one was stupid enough to go down a broken staircase. That is of course, except her. _If my classmates only knew how brave I am on my own. _They probably would admire her.

Marissa shoved back any doubts and conclusions and pressed ahead, passing by the sign and heading down the stairs into what looked like a cellar. _Scary. _

Taking each step slowly, Marissa slipped down the stairs and into the dark. _Why didn't I think to grab a flashlight? _Duh, she wasn't planning on going into a dangerous falling rocks creepy basement in the first place, of course she didn't think to bring a flashlight along with her on this field trip.

When her foot touched the bottom of the stairs, Marissa was relieved to see that part of the floor above had given way years ago and was letting in light. Her eyes took a moment to adjust, then she discovered she was indeed in a cellar. Sticks lay all over the ground, their purpose Marissa couldn't even imagine. _Who on earth would want so many sticks? _

Moving stealthily along, she bent down and kicked at some of the sticks. "Oww!" she yelped, bringing her foot back in surprise. _What on earth? _She reached down and brushed the sticks away to reveal-_a rifle? _That was impossible! What was a rifle doing in the ruins of DunBroch?

Marissa pulled it out and held it in her hands. It was a new one, too. Her father loved guns and had educated her in gunmanship until she was quite good. He had claimed to all of his friends that his daughter could shoot better than their sons, and when put to the test Marissa usually could outshoot them. Her mother didn't quite approve of her talent and Marissa really didn't care, what good was gun slinging if you didn't even want to hunt?

The memories brought back another pang of guilt as she thought about her father. _Oh Dad, if only you knew how much I miss you._ Taking the rifle in one hand, she brushed aside the twigs and sticks away to reveal another gun-this one a pistol. _This is crazy, who left their guns down here? _She picked up the pistol and examined it. _Lugar. _Very rare and hard to get, they were German made.

Making sure the safety was on, Marissa shoved the Lugar into her pocket so she could continue her exploring. _Click. _

Marissa glanced down at the rifle in her hand in surprise. Why did the safety click off? Or maybe it was the pistol-

A jab in the back by cold medal told Marissa that neither guns had clicked off, and her heart stopped.

"Vhat are you doing, girl?" a man's voice hissed in her ear. "And don't think about yelling or I'll kill you."

_German. _His voice was distinctly German. _Of course! _The pistol was a Luger, how could she have been so stupid? Hadn't she thought it herself? _Germans made Lugers!_

"You're a spy!" Marissa whimpered, more to herself than him. Questions raced around her head. _What is a Nazi spy doing hiding in the ruins of an ancient Scottish castle? _Then again, who would think to look for a Nazi spy in the ancient ruins of a Scottish castle? The answer was in the question itself.

The man didn't answer for a second, then sighed. "You're smart girl, but not smart enough. I have to kill you now."

_Kill! _The word erupted like a bombshell in Marissa's head, before she knew what she was doing she plunged herself onto the ground, flipped onto her back and unlocked the safety on the rifle, aiming it at the man. Her eyes met his and she got a good look at him: tall, about six foot one and looking every bit like a German, blond hair and blue eyes with light skin.

"If ya even step towards me, I will blast ya to kingdom come!" Marissa threatened hoarsely.

The German stared at the rifle in her hand, his pistol aimed at her. He hesitated as he considered the situation and Marissa forced back her terror. _I can't believe I'm being this bold!_

A slow grin crossed the German's face and he cocked his pistol. "Ah, but you can't fool me, girl. I didn't load that rifle."

In a panic Marissa backed up across the floor as he aimed right at her head. _No, no help me God! No! _Her hand lost its grip and she collapsed to the floor. Her head span and her ears roared like a train was going to run her over. She felt like she was falling a hundred feet in the dark, everything whirled around her. A shot was fired and Marissa waited for the blow that would kill her as everything went black.

* * *

_Cliffhanger! Hope you liked this first chapter. You might be wondering how this will tie into the original movie. Wait and see and you'll find out. :)  
_

_Thanks for reading and please review! Thank you!_

_-Shire_


	2. Arrows and Bullets

_Whoa, wasn't expecting that many reviews for the first chapter. :) Cool!_

_Thank you Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967, Moonmessi, Isolde Auckley and Superfan44 for the reviews, ya'll made my day! :D I really appreciate that you took the time to review, thank you!_

_Also, thanks to Isolde Auckley for following and __Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967 and Superfan44 for following and favoriting. I'm so glad you're liking it already, even though I've only posted one chapter!  
_

_Okay, onto the next chapter! Thanks for reading and please review, thank you!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

_P.S. I realized that I forgot to mention that even though this will follow the original plot-line of the movie there will be some major twists that did NOT occur and some major elements that are -shall I say, changed because of historical entanglements? ;) Basically there will be some surprises! So it's still a very original story, even with a good amount of the basic plot-line added in. ;D_

* * *

_Chapter Two_

Arrows and Bullets

_This has got to be a dream. _Marissa decided as she stared at the grass around her and the tall trees above her. A creek bubbled nearby where a couple of deer stood getting a drink. _How could I be dreaming? _And yet that was the only reasonable explanation. How else would she have gotten from the ruins to here in two seconds flat?

In fact, it only made sense that the whole thing with the German man was a dream too, her nightmares where she thought her father got killed in France were starting to affect her. No doubt she'd fallen or tripped down the stairs and had gotten knocked out and now she was dreaming she was in the woods of-well, she assumed Scotland, but she wasn't quite sure where she was. For if the German was real, wouldn't he have just killed her? Then she wouldn't be dreaming, she'd be dead.

Marissa stood up, noting that the rifle from her previous dream was still in her hand. The pistol, too, was still in her pocket, bulging out of her blue school skirt. Even if it was a dream the weapons gave Marissa a sense of comfort and security and a grin crossed her face. "This actually could be somewhat interestin'." She told herself.

_Zing! _Something flew by Marissa's head and hit the tree behind her with a _thunk_! Reaction took over Marissa and she whirled around and aimed the rifle, firing it with shaky hands. A flash of red was all she saw as her bullet made contact with a tree. _Crack! _Marissa stared at the hole she made in the tree and realized that if the German _was _real he'd lied to her about the rifle not being loaded. _Duh, so I wouldn't shoot him._

"Who's there!" Marissa demanded, her voice coming out as a croak even though she tried to sound threatening. _Who cares Marissa? Remember, this is only a dream. _

"I was about to ask ye the same thing." A feminine voice retorted. "And why are ye tryin' to kill me?"

"Me!" Marissa exclaimed. "Me, trying to kill _you_? Ya just shot-" Marissa glanced behind her and noted that the weapon was an arrow, "an arrow at me and I defended me self. Now yer asking why I shot at _you_?"

"Ye shot at me first with yer-yer fire arrow." Another flash of red and Marissa realized this girl had red hair like hers.

Marissa snorted. "It's called a bullet, don't ya know anythin'? And no, I didn't shoot first."

"Aye, ye did." With a new streak of boldness the girl emerged from behind a tree and Marissa stared at her. _This cannot be happening to me. _

The girl looked like she was fifteen or sixteen, her hair was a fiery orangish red and her eyes a deep blue. She was wearing a light blue dress that had been torn in many areas and in her hand was a bow with an arrow ready to fire. Marissa couldn't help but gasp, it was just so impossible! _She looked just like her!_

"Who are ye?" the girl whispered, staring at Marissa. Her eyes were no doubt as wide as Marissa's as she tried to grasp why this girl looked just like her. "And why do ye look just like me?"

"I could ask ya the same thing!" Marissa shot back.

The girl glared at her and stood straight. "Don't ye know who yer talkin' to?" she demanded.

"Unless yer the queen of all Scotland, no, I don't." Marissa snorted.

The girl looked thoroughly confused and she eyed Marissa. "I'm the princess of all Scotland." She stated.

At this Marissa laughed. "No, yer not."

"Aye, I am."

She was so serious and so convincing that Marissa doubted herself for a second. "What is yer name?" she asked.

"I'm princess Merida DunBroch."

Marissa's mouth dropped open. _Merida DunBroch? _That was the red-haired princess with the giant black Clydesdale her father used to tell her stories about! _Of course! I'm dreaming about all the stories Dad told me! _Marissa decided.

"My greatest apologies, yer majesty." Marissa set the rifle down carefully and grabbed the edges of her skirt to courtesy. "I've never been in this part of the land before, I don't know anything." If she was going to have a dream about one of her ancestors she should probably be nice, even if it _was _just a dream.

Merida seemed to relax a little and smiled. "It's alright I suppose. What are ye doin' out here by yerself? And with that-thing?" she gestured to the rifle. Marissa picked up the rifle and turned the safety on again. A thought popped into her mind.  
"Ya said I shot first, right?" she inquired.

Merida nodded.

"Hmm, it must have gone off when I fell to the ground in me other dream." Marissa mumbled. She turned to Merida. "This is a rifle, it shoots bullets. They're like arrows but deadlier. If aimed real good, ya can kill a bear with one shot."

Merida seemed impressed, she walked up to Marissa and looked over the rifle. "Sort of like a crossbow, it is?"

"Aye, but much more powerful." Marissa pointed the rifle and aimed at a small birch tree. She clicked the safety off once more, took a deep breath and fired. _Bang! _The bullet tore through the middle of the tree and left a gaping hole. Merida leapt back and stared at the mark.

"I've never seen anythin' like it!" she declared. "Dad would _love _a weapon like that!"

Marissa smiled, amused that the princess didn't seem to realize this weapon hadn't even been invented in her time period yet. She seemed to take everything Marissa showed her very well.

Merida, with new respect in her eyes for Marissa, turned to her and asked, "What is yer name?"

"I'm Marissa." Marissa replied. For some reason she felt she should hold back what her last name was, though she didn't know why. _This is only a dream! _Still, something told her not to do it and she felt inclined to listen this time.

"And where do ye hail from?" Merida asked.

"Uhh…I come from Stonehenge." Marissa stammered. A whinny sounded and both girls turned to see a huge black horse walk towards Merida.

"Angus, ye naughty boy!" Merida scolded him. "Why did ye dump me laddie?" Angus dropped his head while Merida scratched his ears. "I was…out ridin'." Merida mumbled. "Angus spooked and slid to a stop and I came off."

Marissa nodded, that was a reasonable explanation. Upon further study though, she realized Angus had no tack on him.

"Wait, ya were ridin' bareback and bridless out in the woods by yerself? Why?"

Merida grimaced and Marissa wished she hadn't asked. "Ye must be the only person in the entire kingdom who doesn't know." Merida muttered.

"Know what?"

Merida turned to Marissa and crossed her arms. "Me Mum is forcin' me to get married!" she exploded. "And there was this archery tournament and I entered me self in and won! It was completely fair, I followed the rules, I _am _the firstborn of me family!"

Marissa recalled hearing this story once before from her father. Ah, that was right. Her father had said that the lords of the land had had a fit when the princess had entered herself into the tournament and beat their sons, defying the age old tradition of the suitors. "Oh, not good." Marissa commented.

"So I left! I left and I'm not goin' back until me Mum apologizes for forcin' me to get married!" Tears began to form at Merida's eyes and she brushed them away angrily. "So I rode away and that's how I came to be here."

"But yer mother will be worried!" Marissa pointed out. She couldn't imagine running away from her mother, no matter how unfair she had seemed to her. It would break her heart. "Ya can't just run away from who ya are."

Merida groaned. "I know." She sighed, sitting down on the ground. Angus lowered his head and nudged her, as if he was trying to comfort her.

Marissa set the rifle down once more and sat next to Merida. Memories of the stories her father had told her of princess Merida came back in torrents, as well as the guilt of the last time she'd seen her Dad. "Merida, I know yer angry right now but believe me, ya don't want to hurt yer mother." Marissa told her.

"Easy for ye to say, yer just a peasant, ye don't know what it's like to be forced to marry." Merida snapped.

_Peasant? _Marissa supposed she did kind of look like a peasant in her school uniform. _Strangest looking peasant ever. _"Yer right Merida, I can't imagine getting married right now at all. It would be awfully scary."

"Oh, I wish I could change places with you!" Merida wailed.

If light bulb over the head signs were real, they would have appeared that second as both girls stared at each other.

"Absolutely not." Marissa warned, shaking her head violently. _She can't be serious! _"This may be a dream but I'm _not _doing that."

Merida ignored her and jumped up, clasping her hands. "Marissa! Ye look exactly like me, down to me red hair! _Ye could take my place!"_

* * *

_So Merida wants Marissa to take her place. Marissa's dream is not going exactly how she thought it would, is it? Perhaps Marissa's wrong and this is not a dream...only time will tell!  
_

_Thanks for reading and please review! Thank you!_

_-Shire_


	3. Taking Her Place

_Okay, back with another chapter!_

_Thank you Superfan44, Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967 and Isolde Auckley for the reviews! Ya'll are the best and I really appreciate it a lot!_

_Also, thank you Pip'in Tapeworm for favoriting, I'm glad you like it so far!_

_Thanks for reading and once more, please review! Thank you!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

_Chapter Three_

Taking Her Place

"I can't believe yer makin' me do this."

Merida giggled and held her hands up to her mouth. "Oh, it's perfect!" realizing she sounded just like her mother, she grimaced and quickly added, "I mean, ye look like me own image!"

Marissa groaned and looked down at the pale and stained blue dress. "This ain't going to fly, Merida. I can't believe I'm doin' this, I'm dreamin' for goodness sake! I should be makin' me own choices and not lettin' you tell me what to do!"

Merida rolled her eyes. "I've told ye a thousand times, yer not dreamin' Marissa. I'm as real as ye are. I don't understand why yer so bent on believin' this isn't real."

Marissa shook her head. She refused to believe she'd traveled nine hundred years earlier in time, it was impossible. It was _insane_. Not to mention if that was the case the German she'd met up with was real, too.

Merida figured Marissa had just hit her head really hard and couldn't remember anything, which Marissa decided was alright for her to think. After all, if she really _had _traveled back in time, how was she to explain to Merida everything about the war and cars and everything else where she came from?

"Now, have ye ever ridden a horse before?" Merida asked as she brought Angus over to Marissa. Marissa petted the blazed face of the Clydesdale and he snorted, causing her to smile.

"No, actually, I haven't. Is it hard?"

Merida glanced at Angus and curled her finger around a wisp of hair in thought. "Well…it depends on how Angus is actin'. But never mind, I'm sure he'll be fine for ye. Since ye have no reins just hang onto his mane and he'll take ye back to the palace."

"Wait a second, ya expect me to ride that _animal _without any tack!?" Marissa exclaimed, her eyes widening and shaking her head.

"It'll be easy, remember, this is only a dream." Merida snickered, grinning at her own cleverness.

Marissa couldn't argue with that, otherwise she'd be admitting Merida was right. She rolled her eyes and sighed, then stroked the stallion's neck. "Promise me he won't kill me."

"He won't." Merida promised. The Scottish princess was sporting Marissa's school uniform, down to the knee socks and buckled shoes. "Shortest kilt I've ever seen." She commented, glancing over the blue skirt that came down to her knees. "And women aren't supposed to wear kilts. How did ye ever convince yer mother to let ye wear one?"

"Uhh…" Marissa racked her brain for an answer and Merida waved it off.

"Never mind, Mum is no doubt wonderin' where I am and ye need to get goin' to the castle."

Before Marissa could protest Merida grabbed her ankle and hoisted her onto the back of Angus. Marissa was shocked at how strong the princess was but didn't have time to think about it as she grabbed onto the horse's mane. Merida grabbed the rifle on the ground and shoved it into one of Marissa's hands as she gave some last minute instructions. "Now remember, ye address the queen and king as Mum and Dad, and yer brothers are Hamish, Harish and Hubert. No one can tell them apart except me parents so don't worry about mistakin' their names and all."

"Wait, how will I-" began Marissa, but Merida cut her off.

"Now don't let the maid boss ye around and make sure ye feed Angus, otherwise he'll be angry with ye. Also, when Mum gets started on yer music lessons make sure to hit the C cord a lot on the lyre and she'll just show ye which one yer supposed to pluck."

"Merida, I really-"Marissa started again, but only got half way through her sentence before Merida once more interrupted.

"And make sure above all else not to make the lords angry or else we'll go to war. Understand?"

"Merida-"

"Good, then yer set!" Before Marissa could protest any further Merida slapped Angus on the rump, causing the horse to leap forward and race through the woods. "Good luck to ye, Marissa!" Merida called.

"Merrrridddaaa!" Marissa shrieked, before her voice was lost in the thick of the forest as she and Angus disappeared into the woods.

Merida grinned to herself and giggled, smoothing the short kilt or, as Marissa called it, skirt. She noted that one of the pockets was heavy and pulled out another strange fire-bow weapon. Glancing it over, she shrugged and put it back in her pocket, figuring it was too late for Marissa to get it back now. _Besides, might be fun to learn how to use it._

"Where shall I go?" Merida pondered, rubbing her hands together giddily as she thought of the possibilities. _I'm FREE! I'm FREE! _Free to make her own choices, have her own say and do whatever she wanted. _What should I do? _She could go anywhere she wanted and she resolved she never wanted to return home again. This would be fun! And no one would ever miss her, because _Marissa _was there!

A rustling in the leaves caught Merida's attention and she turned to face the noise. _I hope that's not a bear. _She thought, glancing down at the quiver full of arrows at her side. The bow she'd brought with her from the castle lay three feet away from her and she leapt towards it and grabbed it. Slapping an arrow onto the cord she aimed the bow towards the noise and waited.

"Alright bear, I've got ye right where I want ye and ye better not charge me or I'm aimin' t'blow yer brains out!" Merida warned, her fingers twitching as she waited for the monster to emerge.

What stepped out was _not _what she expected. "Oh."

~oOo~

After _gladly _leaving Angus in the stall and hiding the rifle under a pile of straw, Marissa timidly made her way to the door Merida had instructed her to enter in. She had barely tiptoed into the kitchen quarters when another door burst open and a woman in a regal dress and with long brown hair ran towards her. "Merida!"

Guessing by the description Merida had given her, Marissa hesitantly said, "Mum?"

Before she could do anything, Queen Elinor took her by the shoulders and cried, "Oh Merida, I was so worried! I didn't know where you'd gone or when you'd be back-" glancing at Marissa's dress she gasped, "Oh, yer dress!"

Marissa looked down at the shredded blue dress and grinned sheepishly. "Oh, the hors-Angus, threw me. But I'm not hurt!"

"Well, yer safe now." Elinor sighed and smiled at Marissa, causing the girl to squirm under her gaze. "Merida, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine, Mum." Marissa searched for the right words to say, not quite sure what was expected of her. Elinor looked her over anxiously.

"Merida, are you alright?"

"I think so." Marissa mumbled as she imagined refusing to follow along with Merida's 'brilliant' idea. _I should have told her no, her mother really does care about her! _

"Are you sick, m'dear?" Elinor was genuinely concerned, making Marissa feel all the more bad.

"I might be, Mum. I don't know, I feel…bad."

"Goodness, let's get you to bed before you collapse! Of course, you had a long ride." Elinor rushed Marissa up the stairs and past a party of men who were singing some song about killing a bear. _Oh yes, that beast Mor'du that Dad told me about. _Marissa remembered.

As Elinor helped Marissa into a nightgown and into her bed, Marissa couldn't imagine why Merida thought her mother didn't love her. It certainly seemed like Elinor cared about her! Why on earth did Merida want to run away?

"Merida," Elinor hesitated before she walked out the door, and Marissa turned her attention to the beautiful woman.

"Yes, Mum?" she asked.

"Merida, I-I'm sorry for burnin' yer favorite bow." Elinor had tears in her eyes and Marissa realized there was more to the argument than Merida had told her. All Merida had said was that after the tournament she'd taken off, she hadn't mentioned anything about her favorite bow being burned. _I'm going to make her pay for putting me in this mess. _Marissa decided.

"It's alright Mum, I understand. I was wrong, completely wrong, and I shouldn't have done what I did." Marissa told her, a sense of satisfaction at getting back at Merida in this unknown way. From everything her Dad had ever told her about the Scottish princess, this was _not _the way she would have proceeded.

Elinor raised her eyebrows and stared at Merida. "Well, that is a change from earlier. I forgive you, Merida. I hope you see that everything I do for you, I do it out of love."

"Of course Mum, I know ya love me." Marissa agreed.

"Then it's all settled. In the mornin' you'll apologize to the lords and we'll settle this whole matter of the suitors." Elinor decided with a smile. "Then we can rearrange another tournament to determine who wins your hand."

"_What!_" Marissa bolted upright and nearly yelled.

"Merida, remember, a princess does not raise her voice!" Elinor chided.

"Yes Mum, but, ya still want me to get _married_?" Marissa gulped. _I can't get married! I'm not Merida! _This was NOT the way she'd intended this conversation to go!

"Of course Merida!" Elinor looked at her suspiciously. "You didn't apologize just to get me to change me mind, did you?"

Marissa shook her head violently. "No, no!" she hesitated, not sure what to say.

"We'll talk it over in the mornin'." Elinor told her.

"Yes Mum. Goodnight Mum." Marissa sighed as she lay down in the big bed. Elinor said goodnight and shut the door quietly behind the girl.

Thoughts raced around Marissa's head as she tried to grasp what was going on. _They're going to marry me off. THEY'RE GOING TO MARRY ME OFF! _This was bad, _really _bad. But she couldn't pull a fast one like Merida, she didn't know how to shoot a bow and she had _no _chance in winning a tournament! Besides, Merida had said the lords wouldn't stand for anything else, otherwise they'd end up at war with them. Yet she hadn't mentioned how to _handle _them! _If I ever see her again I'm going to do something REALLY bad to her! _Marissa growled as she drifted into a troubled sleep. The last thought that went through her head was, _if this isn't a dream and they_ do _marry me off, or if I cause the clans to go to war, what does that mean for the future DunBrochs like myself and me DAD?_

~oOo~

Outside the door, Elinor paused and stared at her daughter's room. Something was not right, Merida was _not _acting like Merida. Her accent was off and she was just acting…funny. Elinor didn't know what was up but she would get to the bottom of it one way or another. Something was wrong, dead wrong, and she wouldn't rest until she knew what was going on with her precious daughter.

* * *

_They say a mother can always tell. Elinor is no exception to this rule and she knows something is really off about Merida, err, Marissa. ;) And Marissa is beginning to wonder if this really isn't a dream. We'll see later what Merida discovered in the woods!_

_Please review! Thank you!_

_-Shire_


	4. Secrets Never Stay Secrets For Long

_I wasn't planning on posting another chapter until I received a third review, but...let's just say today is a wonderful day and I couldn't resist. :D_

_Thank you Isolde Auckley and Superfan44 for the reviews, you two are the BEST! I love reviews, can't you tell? ;) :D_

_Also, thank you KnifeInTheCrayonBox for favoriting and following, I'm glad you like the story thus far!_

_Okay, here's the next chapter! Please review, thank you!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

_Chapter Four_

Secrets Never Stay Secrets for Long…

When Marissa woke up from her restless sleep she found herself staring into three sets of curious eyes. "Eeek!" she squealed, jumping up.

Three mischievous boys giggled and pointed, grinning from ear to ear. _Oh yes, the princes. _Merida had told her they liked to wake her up in the morning and today was no exception.

"Hello boys." Marissa greeted, swallowing back her doubts. Did they realize she wasn't really their sister? Had they figured out she didn't belong here? What would happen if the royal family realized the girl that was in Merida's room was _not _Merida? Would they kill her?

Her worries proved to be all for naught as the boys bounced up and down on her bed and laughed. Marissa watched them, dumbfounded and not sure what to do.

She'd always found it unfortunate she didn't have siblings, and now more than ever she _really _wished she had siblings so she knew how they were supposed to act. Other than her friend Lilly's family, she hadn't spent much time with other families and she didn't know how they interacted. _Perhaps I should jump with them. _She decided. It seemed logical.

Without another thought Marissa leapt up and began jumping up and down on the bed with the boys, hollering and laughing along with them. Hamish, Harris and Hubert stared at her, their eyes wide. Marissa stopped jumping and glanced at them nervously.

"What?" she asked.

The boys exchanged shocked glances, then whooped and hollered and began to jump again, beckoning her to jump, too. Laughing, the fifteen-year-old began to jump and down with them once more and soon the entire castle awakened to the laughs and shrieks of the four noisemakers.

~oOo~

Fergus was the first one to come into the room and opened the door to reveal his three sons and daughter leaping up and down with hoots of squeals and giggles.

"What's all this about?" he demanded, chuckling. He was surprised to see Merida jumping right along with them and wondered what had gotten into his daughter.

"Oh, Dad!" Merida said in surprise, toppling off the bed and straightening her nightgown sheepishly. The boys continued to jump up and down, waving Merida to jump with them again. She did not, only looked at her feet and then back at her father. "Good mornin' dad, sorry we woke ya, we were havin' fun."

"I can see that!" Fergus commented, his eyes twinkling. "What's gotten into ye lass? I've never seen ye in such a manner before! First yer hoppin' mad about the tournament, enter yerself into it and then yer jumpin' on the bed with yer brothers! I'm guessin' yer feelin' better then?"

"Aye Dad, I am." Merida assured him. Fergus nodded and moved aside as Elinor came bustling into the room.

"My my, what noise at such an early hour!" She admonished as she shooed the boys off the bed to get them to stop jumping on it. "Did ye sleep well, Merida?"

"Yes Mum, fine." She said, glancing out the window and avoiding locking gazes with the queen. Fergus excused himself from the room and ushered the boys out, knowing Elinor had some talking to do with his daughter. _I wonder what's gotten into her. _He thought as he and the boys stomped down the stairs and into the mess hall. One thing was for sure, he had never seen Merida engage in the morning bed jump before and he was glad to see she seemed to be happier than the day before.

~oOo~

"Merida," Elinor began. She had seated her daughter down and was brushing her long flowing red hair. Instead of making a fuss about having her hair done as she usually did, Merida was quiet and sat still, much to Elinor's surprise. "Merida, are ye alright?"

"I slept fine, Mum, and I'm doin' quite well. Though I must admit I'm nervous about today and I have NO idea what yer goin' to tell the Lords about the marriage. I know she made a mess out of everythin' based on what Mer-err, I did yesterday, but are ya sure this is the right course?"

Elinor stopped brushing Merida's hair and stared at the brush, her thoughts racing. _Merida NEVER speaks so openly to me and she never slips up in her speech like that. _This was too strange, something was terribly wrong.

"Merida, how hard did ye fall off of Angus yesterday?" she asked, trying not to let her voice shake too much. She glanced down at her daughter's face and saw-_fear? That can't be right._

"Uhh, I don't really know." Merida stammered. "I was pretty upset Mum. Gosh, I can't remember much of anythin' now that I think about it."

"Gosh?" Elinor repeated.

"I mean, uhh, goodness." She offered up lamely.

Elinor walked around Merida until she faced her and put her hands on her hips. "Merida, somethin' is not right and I demand ye tell me this instant." Elinor snapped, her hands trembling._ Why do I feel this way? Why is this scaring me? _Because Merida could not possibly be Merida, this wasn't Merida at all. Merida was either chipper or angry, she was never nervous or fearful or careful with words. This was _not Merida!_

"Nothin-nothin's wrong, Mum. H-honest." Merida squeaked as she swallowed. Elinor glared at her and took her by the shoulders, staring her straight in the eye. Merida could not look at her and glanced away, but Elinor saw what she wanted to see.

"Yer not my daughter." Elinor hissed. "I don't know who ye are but _yer not my daughter!_"

The redheaded lass jerked her head around and her mouth dropped open, her eyes showing her shock and surprise. "I told her it wouldn't work!" she wailed.

"What have ye done to me Merida? Where is she!" Elinor was in near hysterics, this was horrid. This girl was impersonating her daughter and that meant something terrible must have happened to Merida! And after all she'd said and done, after all they'd argued over, she might never have a chance to tell her how sorry she was!

"Yer majesty, I'm truly sorry." The girl was in tears now, and she began to cry.

"What happened? Why are ye here? What is goin' on?" Elinor continued to barrage her with questions to ease the burden of her own worries, though her heart softened at the girl's predicament. She may not be Elinor's daughter and she may have impersonated Merida, but she didn't have the appearance of a criminal nor the temperament.

"Oh, I wish this was a dream!" the girl wailed, burying her hands in her face. "I prayed and prayed last night this was a dream and that everythin' that happened was not real, but Merida was right, this _is _real! Oh, how will I ever get back to me own time and tell me father how sorry I am! What about that German who was tryin' to kill me? Why am I here? What have I done to deserve this? I wish I was home!"

_This is strange. _Elinor thought as she sat down next to the redheaded child and put her arm around her. _Three minutes ago I was ready to call the guards on this imposter, now I'm comforting her?_

"There there child, I'm sorry I frightened ye. But ye need to be honest with me, I don't know where me daughter is and ye are obviously not her. Please try to understand, I want me daughter back. We'll find yer home, we'll get ye back to wherever ye belong to yer Mum and Dad, but I _need to know where me daughter is_."

The girl looked up into Elinor's face, tears brimming down her cheeks. Her eyes were different than Merida's, Elinor noted. She didn't know why she hadn't noticed it before, but this girl definitely had a greenish hue to her eyes, unlike Merida's deep blue eyes. "I'm sorry yer majesty, I can't believe we did this." She choked back a sob and pressed on. "I met up with Merida in the woods, and she convinced me to take her place at the castle."

"Why!" Elinor cried. "How could she be so selfish and not think about her family?"

"She was angry and confused and hurt." The girl defended. "I don't think she was right to runaway but I don't think it's right for ya to force her to get married! From my brief meetin' with her in the forest she is definitely not ready for it. Why would ya force love early on someone who isn't even ready to give love? She isn't ready to commit herself fully to a husband, she needs time! Can't ya see that?"

Elinor stared at this stranger as the words pierced her like an arrow from her husband's bow. "It's tradition in our land." Elinor stated firmly, trying to console her conscience. "We must live up to who we are."

"But Merida just isn't ready! Don't ya understand? She is _afraid_, she is afraid and the only way she can show her fear is through her anger and defiance."

Suddenly, it made sense. This stranger, this girl who had been impersonating her daughter had suddenly given her the light to see why Merida had defied their traditions to win her own hand.

Poor Merida was frightened of the future, she wanted freedom and she didn't know how to get it without defying her mother. Elinor had expected Merida to be exactly like her when Merida couldn't possibly be. Merida was Merida, free spirited and willful, too strong to show her fear of the unknown. Elinor had never understood that. She hadn't realized that inside, Merida hadn't discovered herself or that longing for a lifelong soul mate. Elinor had just automatically expected her to marry at sixteen, she hadn't ever even considered if it was right for Merida. _But where is Merida?_

"Lass, ye must tell me where she is. We have to find her." Elinor turned and looked straight at the girl, who by now had dried her eyes.

"Yer majesty, I don't know where she is. She was wearin' me cloths and had said she'd never return." The girl whimpered. "I don't know where she was goin' or what she was plannin' on doin', all I know is she hoisted me on her horse and slapped him and I thought I was goin' to die as he wove between the trees."

Despite all her worries, fears and concerns for her daughter, Elinor had to crack a smile at that. "What is yer name?" she asked. "And do ye think ye can show me the place where you and Merida last spoke to each other?"

"I am Marissa." Marissa answered, brushing a stray strand of red hair behind her ear. "And if ya help me, I think I can show ya where we met."

"How did ye meet anyways?" Elinor asked as she gracefully hustled across the room and opened the door to the hallway. "Fergus, come here! Merida is missin'!" she called. No answer. _He and the lords must be down in the wine reserve! _She groaned inwardly.

Marissa didn't reply right away and Elinor turned back to see what was wrong. She was impatient to get going and eager to find her daughter and tell her she was sorry. _Please tell me I'm not too late. _She prayed. The woods of Scotland were dangerous, lurking with wildcat and bear, not to mention the great Mor'du whom still was at large to this very day, always on the prowl.

"That is a long story, yer majesty." Marissa began, but was interrupted by a cry from downstairs.

"Mum! Dad! Marissa! Call the guards, we're under attack!"

Both Elinor and Marissa exclaimed at the same time,

"Merida!"

* * *

_Who would be crazy enough to attack the DunBrochs and why is Merida the one bringing the news? Review and find out! :D  
_

_-Shire _


	5. Explanations and Decisions

_I'm back! And I'm so happy with all the reviews I received! :D_

_Thank you Superfan44, Isolde Auckley and Moonmessi for all the fantastic reviews, I really, REALLY appreciate it and I was so happy! Ya'll made my day, and considering I'm sick yet again with another flu it did a lot to cheer me up. :D Super Awesome! :D :D :D  
_

_Thank you so much for reading and please review! To you readers who read and don't review, I would like to hear from you, too. :D _

_Onto the next chapter!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

_DISCLAIMER: If there are mistakes in this chapter please realize I am having trouble reading and writing because of this awful bug I have, so if there are mistakes than I'm sorry. :) But that's about all I can give you! :D_

* * *

_Chapter Five_

Explanations and Decisions

Elinor was the first to act and sprang into action, running out the door and leaving Marissa in the room by herself.

Marissa wasn't long in following though, she bolted from her seat and raced after Elinor, her heart leaping for joy. _Merida came back! Oh, thank you God! _But who would be attacking the DunBroch castle? Certainly no one who knew how large this stronghold was.

Marissa tumbled down the stairs and into the main hall just in time to see Merida race into Elinor's arms and hug her fiercely. "Mum, mum!" Merida cried. "Call Dad, there's a man with a fire-bow and he's tryin' to kill me!"

"Merida yer back!" Elinor sobbed, hugging Merida again. "Oh Merida, I thought for a bit I would never see ye again!"

Marissa grinned slightly as Merida's face showed total shock. "But-wait, I thought…" her voice trailed off as she glanced at Marissa, her eyes showing her confusion. "Marissa, didn't ye tell them ye were me?"

Marissa shrugged. "I did."

Elinor released Merida from her bear hug and Merida blinked a couple of times. "Didn't-didn't ye believe her?" she asked.

"I did until this mornin'." Elinor explained. "I'm afraid yer plan didn't work though, Merida. Marissa isn't quite like ye."

_Bang! Pow! _The sound of gunshots firing caused Marissa to jolt. _Gunshots? Guns weren't invented in this time period, what is going on…oh. _Marissa's eyes widened. So _that's _what Merida meant when she said a man with a fire-bow! _It was the German spy Marissa had met! _

"Goodness, what is that noise?" Elinor exclaimed.

Merida's face went white and she ran towards a window. "Mum! It's that crazy man with the fire-bow!"

"A fire what?" Elinor demanded, following Merida to the window.

Marissa also came to see if her conclusion was correct and caught her breath at the sight below.

The guards were trying to fire arrows into the trees at their unknown adversary but fell like ducks as the gun continued to fire. _No! _Marissa screamed inwardly, horrified at the sight.

"Close the gate!" Elinor yelled frantically as she gasped as the awful scene. "Close the gate!"

The guard in charge of the gate tower began to lower the gate when a shot from the woods caused him to fall, too.

"He's goin' to get in!" Merida moaned.

"Who is this man? What does he want with ye?" Elinor turned to Merida for answers, her breath coming fast. Marissa could tell she was scared, and for good reason. Why, she was scared, too!

"Not long after Marissa left on Angus this man came from the bushes and threatened to shoot me unless I told him how to get back to his time period!" Merida explained rapidly. "He demanded to know how I pulled such a trick and I told him I didn't know what he was talkin' about. He was angry Mum, and he had a strange accent. He tried to fire his fire-bow at me but I jumped behind a tree and then took off runnin'. I spent almost the whole night dodgin' him until I finally gave up and came to the castle. I didn't know what to do, he's convinced I did somethin' to him and he's tryin' to kill me for it!"

"I know who he is." Marissa groaned, sinking to the floor.

Elinor looked like she was going to ask her who when three guards came running to the main room. "Yer majesty, someone's broken into the castle grounds!" one of the soldiers gasped.

"I know Gordon, I saw the whole thing." Elinor snapped.

Gordon plunged on as if he hadn't heard a word the Queen had said. "He's killed the guards on duty and locked the king, the princes and the lords down in the wine cellar. Only meself, Ian and Matthew were able to escape him. The maids locked all the doors but he's outside of the west wall demandin' ye send the red hair lass out or he'll bring out the king and kill him."

Elinor gasped and Merida put her hand up to her mouth. Marissa looked from one to the other and put her face in her hands. "This is all my fault." She cried, tears starting to stream from her face.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Elinor's face. "Marissa it's alright." Elinor soothed. She glanced at the three soldiers. "Tell that horrid man the Queen will be at the window shortly to discuss terms with him." She ordered.

"Aye, yer majesty!" the guards shot a quizzical glance at Marissa, then bowed and took off running towards the west side of the castle. It took a Marissa a minute to realize she and Merida were in the same room together, therefore the guards had no idea who was who.

Elinor turned back towards Marissa and asked gently, "Tell me, who is the man and what does he want with ye?"

"Aye Marissa. Tell us, who is he?" Merida urged.

Marissa sucked in a deep breath. She supposed it was too late already, as the German had told Merida he was from a different time period. It didn't make anything she was about to say any easier though. "Ya know how I said me name was Marissa? That's only me first name. My name is Marissa DunBroch."

Elinor and Merida stared at her, so Marissa continued. "I'm not from this time period and neither is that man out there. I'm from the future, I don't know how I got here. I was explorin' the ruins of the castle DunBroch when I should have been stickin' with me class. That man out there came up behind me when I discovered his rifle and pistol and then tried to kill me. It happened so suddenly, I fell back and everything was spinnin' and turnin' black, and the next instant I heard the rifle go off and I was in the forest by meself. Somehow when I was in the ancient ruins both meself and that man got thrown back in time and I don't know how to get back or how we got here. He must think yer me, Merida, because we look so alike."

Marissa finished her story and glanced helplessly from Elinor to Merida.

The queen and princess were silent. Marissa's heart pounded as she wondered what they'd say or if they'd believe her. After all, she could understand why they'd think she was lying.

Finally Elinor asked, "Why is the man trying to kill ye?"

Marissa blinked. _No questions about how true this all is? No suspicions or accusations? _That was a relief! "We're at war in me time right now." Marissa explained. "And he's a spy. I found his weapons and figured out he was a German and he tried to kill me to keep me quiet."

"Sounds like all he wants from ye now is to get back to his time period." Merida remarked.

"Then he'll kill me." Marissa moaned. "Oh, why didn't I just stay with m'class?"

Elinor straightened up and sighed. "We'll have to reason with him. Otherwise he'll kill…" her voice trailed off and she wringed her hands. Then Elinor turned towards the direction the guards and gone and walked down the hall.

Merida and Marissa glanced at each other, then Merida offered Marissa her hand. "Come on, we've got to save me father."

Marissa took Merida's hand and stood up, then together the two DunBrochs ran down the hall after the queen.

~oOo~

"What do you want with Marissa?" Elinor called out to the tall blond man.

He was standing there with the strange weapon Elinor presumed was what Marissa had called a gun. He looked angry and his voice confirmed this fact.

"Send the girl down and I'll let your husband and za other men and boys go free!" he yelled. "She is responsible for getting me stuck here in the first place!"

"I could say the same about him." Marissa muttered under her breath.

"She's only a child, what could ye possibly need from her?" Elinor was desperate, she didn't want to send Marissa to her death at the hands of her enemy and yet she couldn't let this madman kill her husband. What could she do to bargain with him?

"Zat's none of your concern." The German snarled. "I'll give you three minutes to decide, I will take nothzing but za girl."

"Oh, he means business." Marissa cried. "I can't let him kill yer husband, yer majesty. I'll give myself up."

"No!" Merida chided, grabbing Marissa's arm. "Ye can't do that. He'll kill you!"

"But if I don't he'll kill yer father. There's no way out of this and I'm the one who created this mess in the first place." Marissa looked miserable and Elinor's heart went out to the girl.

"Merida's right, Marissa. Ye can't give yerself up. There has to be another way." Elinor told her.

Suddenly Merida's face lit up. "Of course! Why didn't I think about it before!" she exclaimed.

"What is it Merida?" Elinor asked.

"The door through the servant's quarters! The German can't see them from where he stands, Marissa could sneak out the back and take off on Angus, then he'd have to follow her and thus leave the castle! He's mad enough that he'd probably chase her on foot, too, and wouldn't be able to catch up to Marissa."

"Uhh, what about the part about meself not bein' able to ride and the fact he'll still try to shoot me?" Marissa gulped.

"Hear me out here." Merida said. "Once yer out of the castle yard and he's in pursuit of ye, I'll come ridin' out on Raider, me dad's horse, and race by him. He'll get so confused seein' two of ye he won't know who to follow or shoot! That'll give Mum plenty of time to unlock the men from the cellar and Dad can shoot him with an arrow while he's confused and then yer out of harm's way!"

"It's too dangerous!" Elinor admonished, her heart pounding at the very idea.

"Two minutes!" the German yelled.

Merida turned towards Elinor, her blue eyes blazing and her voice desperate. "Mum, I'm the one who convinced Marissa to trade places with me in the first place. This is my fault Dad's life is in danger. Let me help her escape. It's our only chance."

Elinor looked from Merida to Marissa. Merida was on fire and ready to go, determined to make her plan work. Marissa looked less sure but hopeful, and Elinor knew it wasn't right to let the poor girl give up her young life.

"Very well." Elinor sighed. "If it's the only way."

Merida grabbed Marissa hand and pulled her along. "Come on, we don't have any time to lose!"

"One minute!"

* * *

_Another cliffhanger! Hehe! Just think of it like when you're watching your favorite TV Show on a channel and whenever they find out something drastic they ALWAYS have commercial break right then. That way you're screamin' for it to resume and leaving you off on a cliffhanger. That's how I like to write. :D_

_Thanks again for reading, please review!_

_-Shire_


	6. The Escape

_Okay, I'm back with probably one of my favorite chapters yet! Hehe, hope you all like it! I know how some of you are going to feel about the ending... :D Just read and find out!  
_

_Thank you Superfan44, Isolde Auckley and Merida37 for the reviews! Again, ya'll are 'Super Awesome.' :D Thank you thank you thank you! :D_

_Also, thank you Merida37 for favoriting and following, I was wondering if you were going to get around to reading this. I'm so glad you like it so far, I hope you update your story soon! :D_

_Okay, here's the next chapter! Please review, thank you! :D_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

_Chapter Six_

The Escape

The sound of thundering hoof beats and a flash of movement caused Fredrick the German to whirl around and catch sight of the red-haired girl galloping full-speed away on a large black horse.

Fredrick swore under his breath and shouted angrily in German. He thought about killing the king in sheer spite but decided against it, he couldn't waste precious time- the girl who was his only link to getting back to his time period and back to his homeland was getting away!

Fredrick thought fast-he'd never reach the child on foot. He'd have to steal a horse and catch up with her, then he'd be able to force her to repeat whatever she did that threw them back in time.

Fredrick leapt into action and ran towards the direction he'd seen the horse come from-after all, where there was one there must be more.

Skidding around the corner he came to an abrupt halt and stared, his mouth dropping open as he beheld _another _red haired girl who looked exactly like the one that had just escaped!

They locked gazes for a second and the girl froze, her eyes wide and her face horrified.

"How-" he began, but before he could finish the girl leapt onto the brown horse she was with and kicked him into a gallop.

"Heyhhaa!" she screamed, heading straight towards him.

Fredrick jerked himself out of the way just as she ran past him, barely managing to escape the horse's flying hooves. He fell to the ground, dazed and watched as she sped out the castle gate and towards the forest.

_This is impossible. Two redhead girls who look identical? _Impossible or not, one of them was the key to getting back to nineteen-forty-two and he wasn't going to let that slip out of his hands.

He jumped up and spotted a tall white draft horse with a halter on. He grabbed a lead and raced towards the equine, throwing open the stall door and causing the horse to jump back a little and snort.

"Easy there." He murmured. He'd grown up a farm with horses and was quite familiar with them, thus giving him a little advantage in this chase.

He clipped the lead on and looped it around the horse's neck, skillfully tying it into a knot to make a set of reins.

Leaping onto a feed-box he jumped onto the horse and dug his heels into its sides.

The horse took off like a shot, racing after its stable mates at breakneck speed.

Fredrick cocked his gun and mentally calculated how many bullets he had left in it and if he needed to reload. _Five. _If he was lucky and this horse was fast enough, he should be able to catch up with the two nuisances and find out which one he needed-and which one was expendable.

~oOo~

Elinor's heart leapt into her throat as the German raced through the gate on horseback. _No, no! _This wasn't part of the plan!

The queen pounded down the stairs into the servant's quarters, followed by Gordon, Ian and Matthew. She ran out the door into the courtyard and raced towards the stairs to the cellar.

With lightning speed she flew down the steps and unlocked the door, shoving it open.

There stood Fergus and the lords, along with the triplets and the lord's sons. The sudden light from the sun into the dark cellar caused all of them to shade their eyes and blink several times to adjust.

"Fergus!" Elinor cried. "Fergus, the man has left!"

"Too bad, I was gettin' ready to barge this door down and wring his scrawny neck!" Fergus exploded, his Scottish temper flaring.

"Fergus!" Elinor admonished. "He's after Merida and Marissa!"

"Marissa? Who's-"

Elinor pushed Fergus past her and up the stairs. "Never mind who, ye have to go after them! He'll _kill them!_"

The words were enough to send Fergus leaping up the stairs two at a time. "Come on ye sorry bunch of warriors!" he yelled at the lords. "We got to save me daughter!"

~oOo~

Angus slid to a stop so quickly Marissa flew straight over his neck and onto the hard ground. _Oww._ She moaned inwardly.

She leapt up just as Merida came crashing next to her, Raider also throwing her. "Raider!" Merida screeched.

Both girls froze as they stared at the stones that encircled them, towering over them and casting menacing shadows.

"This is where Angus threw me last time." Merida whispered.

"The Ring of Stones." Marissa said in awe, temporarily forgetting that Merida's plan had gone wrong and the German was right behind them. She was completely absorbed by the eerie feel and sense she got standing in the center of this strange structure and her heart pounded against her chest. Merida's did too, in fact so loudly Marissa could hear it.

"Are ye okay Marissa?" Merida asked timidly. "I can hear your heart."

"I can hear yours!" Marissa exclaimed.

The next instant someone flew by them as Elinor's horse Snowflake dumped her German rider into the center of the stones. The horse then ran to join Angus and Raider behind the trees.

"Ack!" Merida and Marissa screeched, leaping back.

The German wasted no time, he leapt up and whipped out his gun, aiming it at Merida. "I don't know which one of you is za girl from za future, but rest assured I vill kill both of you if you so much as move!"

Marissa swallowed and glanced at Merida. _I can't drag her into this, I have to give myself up. It's over._

"I am Marissa, I'm the one yer lookin' fer." Marissa stammered, stepping forward.

The German eyed her suspiciously, glancing her over. "How do I know for sure you're not covering for your friend?" he gestured to Merida.

Marissa opened her mouth when Merida announced, "Yer right. I'm Marissa, and I can prove it."

Marissa stared, wide-eyed as Merida pulled out the Lugar Marissa had left in her skirt pocket. "She wouldn't have a gun, would she?" Merida said, glancing at Marissa.

"Give me the gun." The German ordered, opening his other hand.

"Merida, what are ya doin'?" Marissa gasped. "Why are ya doin' this? What about yer Mother and Dad?"

Merida didn't answer as she handed the gun over to the German and Marissa hoped this was part of some master plan she had.

The German seemed satisfied with Merida's proof as he examined the Lugar. "Good _Mädchen_ _._" He grinned. "Now I have no use for your friend."

As fast as he turned to fire on Marissa a enormous black figure crashed into the Ring of Stones and rose up on it's haunches with a mighty roar.

"Mor'du!" Merida gasped as the German whirled around to face this new threat.

"_Goot Nacht!_" he yelped as he stared up at bear, dropping the Lugar Merida had handed him.

Marissa was rooted in place, she'd _never _in her life seen a bear so big and black, standing straight up he had to be at least fifteen feet tall!

The German on the other hand reacted instantly, he whipped out his other pistol and fired five shots into the black monster in rapid succession.

It didn't even seem to bother Mo'rdu. He came down on all fours and with one swipe of his paw threw the German into one of the stones. The man hit the rock with a sickening thud and fell to the ground without even so much as a cry of pain. With a gulp of terror Marissa knew he was dead.

The young girl screamed as the huge beast turned towards her next. What was she going to do?

"Marissa, run!" Merida yelled, grabbing her hand and jerking her along.

The huge bear lounged at them, swiping his devilish paw at the two Scottish girls. Merida dropped to the ground in time but Marissa didn't move fast enough-the bear caught her with the tail-end of his swipe and knocked her ten feet away.

Marissa was sure her heart stopped as the bear rose up on his haunches, ready to fall on her and eat her with one gulp. Only one thought raced through her mind as Mor'du roared. _I'm sorry Daddy! I'm sorry for how I acted the day you left!  
_

~oOo~

Merida rolled over onto her back as Mor'du rose on his hind feet and roared again, standing over Marissa and ready to gobble her up.

Instinctively she reached down for her quiver of arrows. Instead her hand bumped against an object on the ground and she realized it was the Lugar the German had dropped.

Merida snatched up the gun and stared at it helplessly. _I don't know how to do this! _Seconds turned into hours as she watched Mor'du dive for his kill.

_Dear God, please let this be right!_

Merida aimed the weapon at the monstrous bear's head and pulled the trigger that looked like a crossbow trigger. _BANG!_

All Merida could do now was pray she'd hit her mark as Mor'du fell on top of Marissa.

* * *

_*Smug Grin* I assume that if you want to read the last chapter you'll review, right? *Evil laugh* Yes, that's right! End of the line-I mean chapter, readers! ;) Review if you want to find out what happens next! :D  
_

_-Shire_


	7. Brave

_Here is the last chapter everyone. Thank you so much for reading this story and I'm so glad you enjoyed it!_

_Thank you Isolde Auckley, Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967 and Superfan44 for the reviews. No words need to be said about how awesome ya'll are. :D_

_Also, special thanks to Isolde Auckley for pointing out some mistakes in the last chapter that I was able to quickly brush up and fix for you other readers. :) Let's just say this illness is really affecting my head and I didn't even see them... ;D So, remembering that, if there are any more mistakes in this chapter, be sure to point them out 'cause I probably didn't see them. :D I'll fix any mistakes found if someone will point them out. :D_

_Okay, here is the last chapter! Please review and thanks for reading!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

Chapter Seven

Brave

Marissa lay in the dark and blinked. _Am I dead? _She wondered. Mor'du had just come crashing down on her, why didn't she feel crushed or hurt or anything?

She blinked again, then reached up and rubbed her eyes. _I can move my arms? _This was too strange!  
Marissa sat straight up and stared. It took a couple of seconds, then with a shout of joy she leapt up and screeched, "I'm back, I' m back!"

Indeed, she was back in the basement of the ruins of DunBroch with sticks all around her and light streaming from above!

"Thank you God, thank you!" she breathed a prayer, then raced towards the stairs and back up to where the rest of the class tour was.

She'd barely managed to reach the ancient throne room when her teacher, Mrs. MacDonald came around the corner.

"There you are Marissa, what are you doing?" she scolded, her brown eyes snapping.

Marissa skidded to a stop. "I was, well, I, uh…"

"And where did you get that dress?"

Marissa glanced down at the long, hunter green medieval dress and looked up at Mrs. MacDonald with a sheepish grin. "Ya wouldn't believe me."

~oOo~

After a long scolding from her teacher for wandering off and trading her school uniform for a gypsy costume, Marissa was all too happy to get to the gift shop. She purchased a book on the history of the DunBrochs and spent the entire bus ride home furiously flipping through it, looking for anything on princess Merida. She hoped that she'd find something to indicate what happened to the princess after Marissa had gotten transported back to the future, but all she found on the great bear incident was a legend.

_There is an ancient Celtic legend of a bear of monstrous sized named Mor'du. According to the ancients Mor'du was once a man until he got a spell from a witch that cursed him forever. The story goes on that a young DunBroch princess killed the bear after it had tried to attack her, but historians believe the whole thing was made up by later decedents of the DunBrochs to amuse their guests as a one-upping contest._

"Aww." Marissa moaned.

"What's wrong Marissa?" Mrs. MacDonald asked, coming to sit on the seat next to her from across the bus aisle.

Marissa reddened and looked down, not sure what to say. "I, well, I-I was lookin' for something about, well…"

Mrs. MacDonald gently took the book from Marissa and read the excerpt Marissa had been reading. "Ah, the Mor'du legend." She nodded. "You know, you can read more about it in the book I have. There's a whole chapter on the princess Merida. Most historians believe she didn't exist but I don't think that's necessarily the case."

"Me neither!" Marissa exclaimed. "I think she was a brave lass with a mind of her own."

Mrs. MacDonald smiled and opened her purse, handing Marissa a book titled _Legends of the DunBrochs: Tales of the Ancient Celts. _"I wish you hadn't wandered off from the rest of us, Marissa. You would have heard the tour guide talk about the princess."

Marissa gratefully took the book and thanked Mrs. MacDonald for letting her borrow it.

Within no time she found the chapter about Merida and began to read. Though the chapter was littered with 'maybes' and 'it is believed', Marissa knew it was all true.

She was delighted to find out that what she'd told Elinor about Merida not being ready for marriage did have an effect on the queen-she delayed the marriage until Merida felt ready. In turn Merida became quite attached to her mother and their relationship blossomed.

Suddenly Marissa's eyes widened as her eyes caught a tiny paragraph underneath a picture on the last page of the chapter.

_It is believed Merida was the one who wrote on the ancient scroll in the picture above, explaining why everyone should take every effort to mend bonds they broke with pride, selfishness or fear._

The words sunk into Marissa's heart as she realized they were the ones she'd said to Merida. _Merida wrote that for me in hopes I'd read it in the future. _The words also reminded Marissa of something else that needed to be wrapped up.

When the bus dropped Marissa off at the station she raced to her mother and hugged her tight. "I missed you, Mum." She whispered.

"Mum?" her mother laughed, hugging her back. "Since when have ya called me that? And where did you get that dress?"

"I just felt like calling you that today." Marissa stated as they walked down the road that led back towards their tiny farm. "I'll explain the dress later."

"How did your visit to our ancestor's ruins go today?" Marissa's mother asked.

Marissa looked up at the sky before she answered, tucking the loose piece of paper in the book her teacher was letting her borrow. "I learned a lot today, mother. I learned that to be a DunBroch means to be brave, to be strong, to be kind and to learn from your mistakes. Most importantly, I learned that when you do wrong to someone it's your job to make it right."

And Marissa knew that the paper within her book would do exactly that.

~oOo~

_Dear Marissa,_

_You know that I forgive you and love you with all my heart. I know how hurt your heart was that day I left. I never once held that against you, I knew that you were scared for me and that was why you reacted the way you had. Don't ever forget I love you, my brave lass. Remember those stories I told you about the princess Merida? You're my Merida, lassie. You have a good heart and you will do what it takes to make things right. Thank you for writing to me, I love you so much that I had to leave to protect you and your mother. Take care of her while I'm gone._

_With lots of hugs and kisses,_

_Daddy_

The End

* * *

_Special thanks are due, so here they are!  
_

_Special thanks go to:_

_Isolde Auckley, for reviewing every chapter and always having such good critiques and yet high praises. Thank you. :)_

_Superfan44, who also reviewed every chapter and offered much encouragement. Thank you so much!_

_Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967, who 'loved' every chapter. Thanks!_

_And to my sister Collie, who makes up the other half of the CollieandShire writing team. Thanks for always supporting me, even when you don't really get why I'm so excited over everything I write. :D_

_Thanks to:_

_Moonmessi_

_Merida37_

_KnifeInTheCrayonBox_

_Pimp'in Tapeworm_

_For following, reviewing, favoriting and all those wonderful things you did. :D_

_Thank you so much for reading my dear friends, until next time Guten Tag! ;)_


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